This invention relates generally to garden tools, and more particularly to dual function garden tools in which a rake attachment is associated with a weed cutter. In backyard gardening, light weight, manipuable weed cutters have become quite popular. The convenience of these weed cutters is diminished, however, by the fact that after an area of weeds has been cut, the weed cutter must be set aside and a rake used as a separate tool to gather the cut weeds into a pickup pile. This, of course, mandates the use of two tools, and frequently the garden worker must stop his work to search for one or the other. Since the two tools cooperate in providing the necessary equipment for cutting and gathering weeds, their combination into a dual function tool is logical, and has previously been conceived and attempted.
Commercial acceptance of the prior art structures combining these tools have not met with any appreciable acceptance, however, since they have been so structured that they provided inconveniences at least equal to their convenience. The prior art combinations of these tools have not resulted in a dual function tool in which the rake and weed cutter cooperate toward a desired result of cutting and gathering weeds. In many of the previously known devices the rake is so positioned that it unduly interferes with the weed cutter, limiting its mobility and effectiveness. In others, the combination results in a tool so expensive to manufacture that it is not commercially feasible.
A need, therefore, exists for a weed cutting and gathering tool which has a weed cutter for cutting weeds and a rake disposable to gather the cut weeds by mere rotation of a common handle 180.degree., and in which the rake is stowable so that it does not interfere with the garden obstacles such as sprinkler, buildings and plants when the weeding tool is being used.
It is, therefore, a major object of my invention to provide a rake attachment for a weeding tool which mounts on the tool handle with the distal ends of the rake tines extended below and directed 180.degree. opposite to the weed cutter when the rake is in its work position and is movable into a stowed position wherein the tines are directed away from the weed cutter and disposed about midway up the handle, out of the way of potential conflict with garden obstacles when the weed cutter is in use.
It is also an important object of my invention to provide a rake attachment for a weeding tool which is readily mountable on the lower end of the handle of any common weed cutting tool and is secured in its operative position by merely sliding a locking pin and rotating the tool handle 180.degree..
It is another object of my invention to provide a combined weed cutting and raking tool of the type described in which the rake attachment is positionable against resilient urging into a work position and secured there by a manually operable locking pin where the distal ends of its tines extend beyond the weed cutter at the lower end of the tool handle but are directed 180.degree. from the weed cutter blade, and can be returned to a stowed position by resilient urging upon release of the locking pin, where it is out of conflict with the weed cutter blade.
It is a further object of my invention to provide a weed cutting and raking tool of the type described in which the rake attachment can be separately manufactured and easily attached to most commonly used weed cutting tools.
It is still another object of my invention to provide a combined weed cutting and raking tool of the type described which is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to install.